Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-12-02

~ '7'9-"SIE~c.
short Of three or %|&&S,E:N2.L.5\)
! four hours. by which\ 7 49, al
time we ought to be% ':;>''
out of reach, with AIN ~. n
our work done. If thcyEI K Il
rode or sent back to Mari y I ~
eta Whcre we had lodged for Y ~
the nighu which would seem\ ~
| to be their best plan, that would R.r'~2e-i
take at least an hour: then tel ~
THE WESTERN ATLANTIC OR GEORGIA
STATE LINE RAILROAD.
egram to Atlanta could very soon start
Il train after us. but it would be forty or
| fifty miles behind; and long before it
could come up bridges would he burned,
the track and telegraph cut and the road
completely destroyed We expected to
run on our regular time to Kingston,
! which would thus take about two hours.
but to ohstruct the track at several places
on the way; then with the local freight
safely passed. hurry ON to the Oostenaula
| Tor Rc>aca bridge, twcuiy-fOur miles
! further, in half an hour more, burn that,
and sweep on over the eleven bridges Of
! the ChiCkamauga, and leaving them In
| flames (also the one of the East Tennessee
road, over the same stream). pass by
| Chattanooga on the "1 - running over
to the Memphis and Charleston road and
press rs rapidly as possible westward to
| Bridgeport and on to Mitchell, wherever
he might be. 1t will he seen that leaving
| out of account any accident to our train,
and any difficulty in passing the trains We
were to meet, our calculations were al
most dead certauties. With two en-
perienced engineers, and caution in run
! ming, accidents were not likely to occur;
| and Andrews trusted to his own marvel
Gus address (and not vainly, as the result
showed to disarm suspicion from any
trains met. On Friday, so far as human
| vision can now penetrate, these CalCulat ions
would have worked out with the precision
of machine, and all the results indicated
have followed. To-day there were new
elements which were to task our powers
to the utmost but of these we as yet
| knew nothing.
All careful and prudent preparations
were now made for a long run. A red
flag placed on the last car showed thai
| another train was behind, and served as
u kind of silent excuse for being on the
time of the morning mail The engine
was also carefully inspected by Knight
whose mechanical knowledge was most
useful and found to be in excellent work
ing condition. 1t was thoroughly oiled
Then we moved leieurey onward until
we came near Moons station, where some
wOrkmen We're engaged on the track, and
the opportunity of getting necessary tools
was too good To be lost. Brown Sprang
down and asked a man for Il wedge pointed
iron bar with which lie was prying. The
man gave it at once and Brown stepped
back with his booty, but Il little disap-
pointed. for one of the bent claWfOOted
bars for pulling out spikes would have
been worth much more but they had
none. The bar taken was the only one of
their tools that seemed likely to he of
value. or more would have been borrowed
by force. if not Otherwise.
As we went on Andrews cautioned his
engineers not to run too fast, which they
inclined to do; all of us would have
relished more speed in this first part OF
the journey. But running on all south
arn roads i'll war times was slow; our
train was not scheduled at over sixteen
niles an hour. The road itself was ex
ceedingly crooked, with abundance Of
short curves, and having but light iron
rails, was untitled for high speed We
were anxious to get past the local freight
that we might test the road 5 capabilities
Those Oh the engine We're very much
amused, as We ran by station after sta-
tiun, to see the passengers come up with
their sachels in their hands, and then
shrink back in dlsnay as We sped past
without a sign of halting But when by
we would stop and cut the telegraph wire,
so that no suspicious or inquiries could
be sent ahead,
Thus We passed through Ackworth and
Allatoona. and then stopping again to cns
the wire. also cndeavored 10 lift rail
While We were sure that no train from
h.,l
also To- make il difficult Tor one from Al,
lanta. if any should be sent from there, 10
run rapidly: and what was of equal i'm
purtance, we did not wish the local freight
to proceed southwark after we met II, ~
he turned back 10y any pursucrs. lifted
rail j. almost sure a. throw an unsuspect
ing train from the track; and WE put such
an obstruction before each train that We
met on this journey Yet the process Of
taking up "a rail. though WE made much
of a. was far from easy with the imper
fec tools We possessed. y single tool-i
y bar constructed expressly for drawing out
suikes-would have enabled us to battle all
pursuit But this we did not have, an,i
| more than five minutes were consumed
Tor each rail taken up in battering out
; some spikes with our iron bar and after-
ward prNiug the remainder loose with
! handSpikcS and with the rail itself Thr
delay was of no great importance now
for We had - supcrlluity of time, but IA
the quick and terrible struggle further "
, the road, when seconds were decisive, il
was far Otherwise The rails when lite
Were carried away with us and the bretN
thus left was for a time u barrier to 4
train not supplied with track laying took
as absolute rs q burnt bridge. The feel
! ing of security after such obstruction wa;
q very delightful and not unwarranted. n
no case did pursuing train pass plac'
/ where we had torn up n rail in time to III
o nc any damage.
Gro be COntinued)